As Congress has ceded more and more power to the Executive Branch, it has become custom for policy to flip … More
Category: Endangered Species Act
When federal regulations stymie efforts to recover formerly endangered species
One of the recurring conflicts under the Endangered Species Act is at what point a species should be delisted. If … More
Unlike politics, property rights provide a firm foundation for conservation
In July, 2017, employees from the National Butterfly Center—a 100-acre butterfly preserve in South Texas owned and operated by a … More
Mired in red tape: Pipeline case could upend Clean Water Act permitting
The federal Clean Water Act is a notoriously complex statute, imposing federal permitting on a wide variety of land uses, … More
Conserving habitat requires better incentives, not more regulatory mandates
Loss of habitat is one of the chief threats to endangered and threatened species. Consequently, the Endangered Species Act provides … More
Recovering endangered wolves means addressing impacts on communities and landowners
In 1976, the last wild Mexican wolves were captured and put into a captive breeding program. Over the last half-century, … More
Government lawyer in grizzly hearing: “I can almost guarantee” we’ll be here again.
After decades of work by federal biologists, state wildlife agencies, landowners, and conservation groups, the grizzly bears in and around … More
Endangered species bear the costs of bad incentives
The Endangered Species Act imposes significant regulatory burdens on anyone who owns land where endangered and threatened species or their … More
Should every cat owner, car owner, and home owner be a potential criminal?
Billions of birds are killed every year in the United States, many of which are protected by the Migratory Bird … More
Will sea otters soon be returned to San Francisco bay?
California sea otters have come a long way from the 50-member population discovered off Big Sur in the early 1900s, … More